By Lee Pfeiffer
Dennis Hopper, who has been battling prostate cancer for months, has died at age 74. Hopper was a larger-than-life figure in American films, having started out with high profile supporting roles in the James Dean classics Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. His rebellious behavior often alienated him from studio executives. In 1969, he directed and co-wrote Easy Rider, which was made a on shoestring budget and grossed tens of millions of dollars. The film also transformed the movie industry and helped usher in an era of new filmmakers. However, Hopper's penchant for drugs and alcohol sidetracked his success. His follow-up film, The Last Movie, was a critical and boxoffice disaster. He began a comeback a decade later with an acclaimed supporting performance as a crazed war photographer in Apocalypse Now and scored an Oscar nomination for his performance in the 1986 film Hoosiers. Hopper set his sites on getting sober and his career flourished. He worked consistently until his illness last year. Most improbably, later in life Hopper empathized with the political convictions of John Wayne, with whom he made two films, by donating money to the Republicans. However,he became disillusioned with the direction the party had taken in recent years and backed Barack Obama for President. In Hopper's final days, he was able to attend the ceremony that saw him receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. However, he was also in the midst of a bitter divorce that he filed for while literally on his death bed. For more click here